A new DiRT Rally awaits in 2023, the WRC license is in the hands of Codemasters

Portal Games Industry reported that Codemasters has signed an agreement with the organizers of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship (World Rally Championship) for the exclusive production of games based on the racing series.

 The deal is for five years, from 2023 to 2027. During this period, Codemasters will release WRC games, including regular releases, on PC, consoles, and mobile devices, as well as host related esports tournaments.

The premiere of the first Codemasters project under the agreement is expected from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. According to representatives of the British team, the studio's new commitments will not affect the future of the DiRT series.

It is assumed that until 2023, Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive) will continue to release games based on the rally championship. The previously announced WRC 9 is set to release on September 3rd.

In reality, the current season of the World Rally Championship has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic - two stages have been postponed, the same number have been canceled.
Codemasters is familiar with the rally simulation genre firsthand: in the early and mid-2000s, this type of virtual racing was strongly associated with the Colin McRae Rally series of games authored by the British studio.

Codemasters will also remain a Formula 1 game developer until at least 2025. The new agreement provides for an extension for the 2026 season and the 2027 season, subject to certain conditions being met by the studio.

Codemasters' next racing sim, F1 2020, launches July 10 for PC (Steam), PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. The new part for the first time in the history of the series will allow you to create your own team.